University Industry Standards Paper

Industry codes of ethics – Big Alcohol During COVID-19 PandemicThe goal of this exercise is to give you experience applying a systematic, ethical decisionmaking model to a case regarding a company or more than one company and experience the
process of building consensus across a team of individuals with different personal ethics.
Background:
As Australia faced increasing levels of the COVID-19 infection rate and more lockdowns to
contain the pandemic, so-called “Big Alcohol” began running ads like offering survival kits to
cope with the situation. It came under heavy criticism for exploiting the crisis to advance its goal
of selling more alcohol.
Here in the U.S. alcohol sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic and some companies have
benefited by targeting certain groups like younger audiences to get them to drink more & have
“fun.” Major brands like AB have looked at attracting a younger audience that cannot attend live
events through virtual events, looking to expand market share and taking advantage of the
lockdowns to promote drinking more despite the health concerns…Meanwhile, Coors Light had
to pull its ad promoting drinking while on lockdown because it seemed to make light of the
pandemic…
Required reading materials:
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https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/04/23/australia-shocking-covid-19-theme-alcoholmarketing/
https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/02/big-alcohol-targets-kids-exploits-pandemic-topromote-alcohol/
https://www.blackenterprise.com/coors-light-pulls-official-beer-of-working-remotely-addue-to-coronavirus-outbreak/
To do:
1. Evaluate Industry Standards/Codes as well as Alcohol Advertising laws that should be applied
to the cases – Alcohol Marketing during the pandemic, and explain the following points:
• Against what Laws in Australia? Why?
• Against what Laws in the US ? Why?
• Against what Alcohol advertising industry standards (both Australia & US)? Why?
2. Make any recommendations for what the industry could have/should have done differently.